


Touch my body (Actually it's yours)

by ScorpionMauve



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Body Swap, Bruises, Businessman! Minho, College student! Seungmin, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jeongin is aged up, Living Together, M/M, Masturbation, stabs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:41:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23143333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScorpionMauve/pseuds/ScorpionMauve
Summary: Losing sleep over sourceless bruises wasn't one of Minho's favourite activites, but it only came second to waking up in a stranger's body.
Relationships: Kim Seungmin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 28
Kudos: 241
Collections: our divorced couple °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°





	Touch my body (Actually it's yours)

Minho had never been a very clumsy person, but these last few weeks, he always found himself covered in more bruises than ever in his life. He had no idea where they came from and yet they still appeared on his skin.

Every evening, when he stripped to go to sleep at an hour at which no one should even be up, he could see them, littering his body. He laid down on his bed, looking for sleep, but he was deceptively awake for a few more hours before finally falling into tormented slumber.

Minho couldn’t figure out where the purple spots, fading into yellow, came from and it had begun to drive him crazy. He had scheduled an appointment with his doctor, who didn’t know either and decided to make him go through a series of tests. They had all come back with no news at all.

The viscosity of his blood was normal, it clotted the way it was supposed to. There really was no apparent reason for him to bruise so much. 

He spent his nights pondering about one of the options that hadn’t been refuted yet, one he didn’t ever want to think about, but had no choice. Sometimes, a sudden increase in bruising was the sign of cancer. 

The thought of it obsessed him, haunted him during every waking hour, and came to prod at his brain even when he slept. Minho had begun to lose so much sleep over it that it seemed like his eye bags had been permanently carved into his skin.

To remedy that, he alternated between drinking until he passed out and taking probably too much sleeping pills. If this turned out to be nothing, his liver would absolutely hate him. Not that it didn’t already.

His friends, seeing him decay, took it upon themselves to make him talk about what was bothering him. They met up after a long unproductive day during which his spiralling thoughts hadn’t left for a second.

Chan and Jeongin sat Minho at the table of a private room in a restaurant, a privilege granted by his high position in his corporation.

“Okay, Min, you gotta talk to us. We’ve seen you wither for the past month and we want to help, we can’t just sit there and watch you become a shadow,” Chan demanded, eyes filled with worry as he slightly leaned over the table. 

So that was what this meeting was about, Minho thought, “I’m…”

He started off, wanting to say that he was fine, but he knew not even a fool would believe that. His tiredness was so obvious, transpiring in every aspect of him. It wasn’t simply physical, it was also in the way his voice seemed so dull, how he dragged himself around, lacking his usual elegance, how he phased out every so often, how he hid away from his closest friends, how he was too tired to even complain about it anymore.

“I just-”

He couldn’t find the right words to express his worries, the way he was feeling. The rusty gears that moved slowly inside his mind decided it was a better idea to simply show them. He hadn’t even worn a jacket, so he simply started to unbutton his wrinkled dress shirt, ignoring their confused looks, and shrugged it off.

Minho looked down to avoid their horrified stares, knowing how horrendous his chest looked from staring at it for hours on end. The purples, reds and yellows bloomed over his skin like a field of tulips in the spring.

“What happened ?”

Jeongin asked quietly, reaching over to the side to take Minho’s hand gently.

“You look like you’ve been mauled.”

Minho shook his head softly, voice coming out shaky as he answered, “I have no idea… They don’t hurt, and I’ve never been hit in the chest. They’re everywhere. I went to see the doctor. She has no idea what it is. I’ve been through so many tests, I can’t…”

He felt tears rush up to his eyes, trying to push them back down unsuccessfully. He looked back up, seeing the shock and the concern on his friends’ faces. That was when he broke down, the liquid pearls beginning to spill out and roll down his face. His body started shaking as powerful hiccups wracked him.

Chan stared with wide eyes, utterly lost, while Jeongin sprung up into action, carefully pulling him into his arms. The way he didn’t attempt to push him away showed how distraught he was, Minho usually not one for skinship. He was also very private so seeing his tears couldn’t be deemed a common occurrence for his friends.

His hands gripped the front of Jeongin’s shirt as he hid his face in the other’s strong shoulder, shuddering in his hold. Silence spread in the room, only broken by Minho’s sobs as he let out all of the stress he had been feeling.

“They…” He choked on his words, taking a shaky breath to calm down enough to tell them, “They think it might be cancer. Didn’t find another explanation.”

Chan couldn’t retain a gasp and stood as well, coming closer to gently pat his back.

“You said they think so, right ? Means it’s not sure, is it ?” Chan’s voice shook, betraying his own tension. “And… Even if it is, we’ll be right here with you, you know that. Always. We’ll get through it together, you’ll get through it.”

He had never been the best at comforting others in a time of trouble, but the pitiful sight of his friend teared up his heart.

Jeongin encouraged Minho to let it all out, saying he’d feel better afterwards and sure enough, after an extended period of time, they disconnected. The youngest of the three wiped his eyes, blinking rapidly as he always did when he didn’t feel confident.

“I’m fine,” Seeing the unconvinced looks on his friends’ faces, he let out a small nervous laugh, continuing. “No, seriously. I’m fine. It’s just been stressful.”

They slowly settled back in their chairs as Minho rebuttoned his shirt, eager to hide the bruises away from sight. He pushed a button in the center of the table, alerting the waiter to come gather their empty appetizer plates. He wanted to avoid the awkward time that always happened after someone cried.

Minho straightened his shirt right before the door opened, letting in a waiter, who piled up their plates and quickly took them away. Another followed, putting their main courses in front of them without a word. 

Not missing a beat, Minho began eating. Crying had taken energy out of him and though, for most people, it tied up their stomach, his own turmoil had only made him hungry. He shoveled the food into his mouth, not taking time to appreciate the taste like he usually did.

The tension in the air suffocated them all so Chan tried starting the conversation back up on another subject. He went for the easy topic of wine, discussing with Jeongin the one they were currently drinking, Minho intervening every now and then.

The atmosphere slowly went up again until dessert. Minho reached down to scratch his leg, consequently brushing over his thigh. When he brought his hand up again, he noticed a red smear that hadn’t been there previously. He frowned and wiped it away on his napkin. He glanced down to see where it came from, noticing a dark stain on his pants. Had he dropped something on there earlier ?

When pressing his towel on it, it quickly soaked up the strangely thick and sticky red liquid, making him frown.

“Something wrong ?”

Chan’s voice made his head snap up, looking like he had been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do.

“Oh no, it’s okay, I just think I spilled something on myself.”

Jeongin nodded in understanding, holding out his own napkin. Chan looked down at his bag, rummaging through it.

“I have a change of pants, if you want.”

With a thanks, Minho stood up, taking the pair of dark dress pants and scuttering off to the bathroom. Closing himself into a stall, he pulled off his current pair, gasping at the sight of his leg. A deep cut ran along the width of his thigh, bleeding profusely. He immediately took a wad of toilet paper and pressed against it.

Why didn’t it hurt ? How did it happen ? How had he not noticed it before ? His mind was reeling, the room beginning to spin in front of his eyes. Was it due to the shock or the amount of blood he had lost ?

Minho had to get out of there. Wrapping a good amount of paper around his leg, he pulled on the new pair of pants. Shooting out to clean his hands in the sink, he looked up at himself in the mirror. He looked like such a mess. His eyes slid down to his stomach, where a red spot was starting to grow. 

He pulled his shirt up in panic and therefore saw the most traumatic thing he had ever witnessed. He watched a gaping hole open up in his flesh, blood spewing out of it profusely. He covered his mouth, keeping a terrified gasp in, before pulling his jacket tight over his chest, rushing back to their private room.

“Ah, we thought you died in-”

He didn’t let Jeongin finish, going straight for his bag, gathering his stuff inside.

“Need to go, tell me how much I owe you later, bye.”

With those few words, he disappeared in the door again. His two friends exchanged a look before Chan started sprinting after him. Jeongin grabbed an unknown number of bills, throwing them on the table, hoping it would be enough to pay for their meal. He grabbed both his and Chan’s bags before rushing in his friends’ steps.

The other clients of the restaurant as well as the employees watched him like he was possessed and honestly… He could have been. He shot a quick “sorry” to the woman standing at the front, before scuttering out on Chan’s heels.

“Minho !”

The commotion caused by their friend, about twenty meters ahead of Chan, suddenly stopped. Another cry of his name ripped itself from his throat, until it came into view. 

Minho’s body, collapsed on the floor.

Chan fell to his knees immediately, carefully rolling him over, choking on air at the sight. The previously white shirt now harboured a large and spreading red stain. His thigh glistened from the same substance.

“Jeongin, ambulance !”

But there was no need to tell him, he had already dropped everything to get his phone out, speaking hurriedly in the speaker. What on Earth was happening ?

* * *

When Minho opened his eyes, all he saw was a dark cracked ceiling. He couldn’t remember what had happened at all, he just remembered eating with Jeongin and Chan, everything afterwards was blurry. He sat up slowly, groaning at the pain in his chest.

“Hey, hey, hey, bro, stay down.”

A boy with a thin face peppered in freckles gently pushed his shoulder back to lay him down again. The only reason Minho didn’t fight him was because of the ache spreading through his entire body.

“I did my best to patch you up, but I’m no real doctor yet, Minnie.”

Now that was weird. Minho didn’t know that kid and yet, the other seemed to do so. He frowned a bit, one hand coming to rest protectively on his chest.

“Okay, um, thank you. But uh… Who are you ?”

The boy’s eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed, as he looked for words. He looked behind him before his gaze settled on Minho again.

“Felix ? Your friend ? Did you hurt your head when you fell ? I didn’t see any bump but maybe I missed it…”

Minho didn’t know any Felix. The boy kneeled next to whatever he was laying on, definitely not a bed, and began looking through his hair with nimble fingers. Minho tensed up, wanting nothing more than to growl for him to move away, but he was distracted by another boy coming into his field of vision.

“Hey Minnie… Do you know who I am ?”

Minho shook his head slowly. Who were all these kids surrounding him and why did they seem so unaware of personal space ? The two strangers exchanged a look as Felix moved back to stand next to the other. They talked quietly among themselves.

“He doesn’t seem to have hurt his head, I’m not sure what it could be.”

“Maybe a result of the blood loss ?”

Minho saw red. He sat up quickly, gritting his teeth through the pain that shot through his entire body.

“Are you aware that I am right here ?!”

The second one shrieked and extended a hand towards him, that he immediately slapped away.

“Don’t touch me ! I don’t know who you are ! And where am I ? What the hell is happening ?”

Felix bit his lip, gently pulling the other boy back by the elbow. He walked to the side to grab a rusty folding chair, gesturing for the still nameless one to sit while he himself settled on a dirty looking pillow on the floor, the floor that was just dusty concrete. Everything around them was concrete.

“Let me explain then…” The tallest of the two started from his spot on the chair. “I’m Hyunjin, this is Felix. We are in an abandoned subway station that we use as a hideout. We’re here because you were… Stabbed, and you refused to let us take you to the hospital.”

Minho’s dizzy brain took a little while to process the information, which only raised so many more questions.

“Stabbed by who ? How did you two find me ? Where are Jeongin and Chan ?”

They, once again, exchanged a worried look that mirrored the ones he could remember from his friends during dinner.

“Seungmin, we-”

What ?

“Seungmin ?”

Minho looked down at his hands. Well, his hands… They weren’t the soft, slightly pudgy ones he was used to. Instead, long thin bony fingers, rough skin and scars made them up.

“What the…”

He brought his hands up to his face, patting it down. Pressing his cheeks, thumbing at his lips, pinching his ears, tracing his nose.

“Give me a mirror.”

The other two watched him, frozen, so he growled under his breath.

“I told you to give me a fucking mirror !”

Hyunjin suddenly scrambled to grab something on the table, holding it out to him. Good, Minho liked people who were swift. Except…

He opened the small mirror and despite the crack that ran through it, he could see it clearly. It appeared that he wasn’t Minho anymore. He looked up at the boys, Hyunjin and Felix, with a gaze that didn’t need his eyes to be conveyed.

“Listen, I don’t know who you think I am, that… Seungmin or whatever. But I am not. My name is Lee Minho and I’m a financial manager for one of the top corporates of the country, not a high schooler like you kids are.”

Their eyes widened, Hyunjin taking back the mirror handed to him without a thought. Felix protested under his breath.

“We’re in college…”

Minho held up his hand, cutting him off, immediately regretting it.

“Listen, I don’t care. All I want is to get back to my body because, no offense to Seungmin, but he is really fucking scrawny.”

That brought a reaction out of the taller boy, who couldn’t keep himself quiet. He jumped to his feet, pointing a finger towards Minho’s face.

“You have absolutely no right to say anything about Seungmin, you don’t know him, nor what he’s been through, he is the strongest guy I know and not just a scrawny kid. Not everyone has money or a loving family, mister accountant or whatever you were. So don’t you dare say anything bad about him.”

At the end of his passionate rant, Hyunjin’s breath came out in pants, Felix trying to take hold of his hand. Minho couldn’t help the corner of a smirk from slipping onto his lips. He had seen such a fiery passion in the past, seen it in himself when he was younger. He thought for a few instants.

“What has he been through ?”

At the offended gasp that came from Felix and the way he had to grab Hyunjin’s hand in order to keep him from jumping onto Minho, he knew that wasn’t the way to ask.

“I meant, like… Why is he in his state ? How did he get stabbed ? And all of these bruises ?”

Felix, still working on pulling Hyunjin down to sit, answered quietly.

“His parents are abusive. I think tonight was the last straw…”

Hyunjin tensed up at the mention of Seungmin’s parents, which led to Felix getting up and pushing himself on his lap.

“Will you sit, goddamnit ?”

Minho chuckled softly, wincing as it shifted the wound of his chest.

“Hey, do you have a phone ? I need to contact my friends. Because if I’m here, it surely means that your Seungmin is…”

* * *

“Aaaaah !”

Upon hearing his yell, two men rushed to Seungmin’s side from where he laid on a bed. The pure white room, the clean almost tingly smell, the hushed whispers coming from the hallway. It all screamed hospital, and hospitals made Seungmin scream.

He sat up, backpedalling until his back hit the wall, away from the two strangers. Their faces seemed vaguely familiar, but he didn’t spend time thinking about, too preoccupied with the fact that he had no idea where he was.

“Move back !”

Seungmin’s hands shot out in front of him out of habit, wrapping around his head protectively.

“Don’t hurt me…”

He curled up on himself more when he heard a voice, too distressed to register what they were saying. He tensed up at the feeling of a hand on his calf, whimpering in advance, preparing himself for the pain, except it never came. The touch was soft, gentle, even comforting. 

Seungmin looked up through his fingers, meeting the gaze of one of the men. His kind eyes held a concerned look that he hadn’t seen from anyone other than Felix or Hyunjin for a while.

“You’re okay, we just didn’t know what was happening. The doctors still don’t know what’s wrong with you about the bruising, and now this… The police are looking through security cameras to find out what happened to you. Do you remember anything ?”

Seungmin slowly shook his head, unsure of what he could be talking about. The man standing further away from the bed sighed, speaking up.

“They think it might be an attack towards the company, given you’re one of our biggest assets. They’re l-” he was cut off by his phone ringing, pulling a curse from his lips. “I thought I had turned you off, bastard.”

Seungmin thought about the man’s words, confused.

“What… Company are you talking about ?”

The closest one to him frowned as the phone rang again, prompting the other to turn it off and slam it on the table he leaned against.

“Um, our company ? Miroh ? Are you feeling okay ?”

What was he talking about ? Seungmin had heard of it before since it was one of the most important ones of the country, but he was in college, not a businessman. He had to tread this situation carefully and, as he always did when something became precarious, he adapted.

“Ah right, sorry. I’m just feeling a bit dizzy.”

He stretched out a leg to trick the men into thinking he was comfortable. He took that occasion to look down at his hand and the heavy rings that adorned it. Its soft skin showed how little manual labour this body had done. Seungmin had figured something had happened somehow, making him not himself. 

“Is my phone around, by any chance ?”

The man standing further away started ruffling through a bag before extending a device towards Seungmin. He took it gently and looked at it for an instant. It was a recent model, something he would never even dream to afford. He simply had to look down at it and the screen lit up, unlocked.

Thank God. Even if he was smart, there was no way he could have figured out the passcode without even being in contact with the phone’s owner. Not while being surveilled like that, at least. He started by checking what he looked like in the camera.

A soft yet sharp face with pretty lips and big glossy eyes, looking overall very pretty despite the obvious tiredness. That wasn’t what he expected a seemingly renowned finance guru to look like. 

Seungmin then skidded into the messages app to know more about who he was supposed to be, as well as who the two men were. They were the most recent conversations he had had. The one with the kind eyes, sitting on his bed was named Jeongin and the other staying back was Chan.

Quickly going through the texts, he learned that the body’s owner was named Lee Minho. A fast research of that name along the company’s name brought him more information. He had a wikipedia page to his name, along with numerous press articles about him. The phone started ringing, startling him and when he looked at the number displayed, he recognized it. 

It was Felix’s. He couldn’t answer though, not yet, not in front of them. He declined the call, looking up at the men.

“It’s just work, I’ll deal with it when I’m not in a hospital bed anymore,” He saw them exchange a look. Did Lee Minho never put down work ? “By the way, when do I get to leave ? There are a lot of things to do.”

Chan walked closer, leaning against the wall, but stayed a safe distance away from the bed.

“The doctor wants to check on you one last time, so whenever she leaves, you’re free to go, unless there’s something she hadn’t noticed. That’s unlikely though, you know how careful and thorough they are with you.”

Seungmin sighed, trying to work on the short tempered persona Minho had seemed to bear in the few conversations he read.

“Well, can’t she hurry up ? I have things to do.”

In reality, he was terrified deep down. He just wanted to leave and figure out how to get back to his own body.

“I’ll go see what I can do.”

Jeongin quietly left the room, leaving Seungmin and Chan in an awkward silence. The one in the bed looked down, fiddling with his fingers. He could hear the other open and close his mouth in search of something to say, before finally it finally came out, conveyed by a hesitant voice.

“Hey, Min… I’m glad you’re alright. Really scared us out there.”

Seungmin simply nodded, unsure how to answer except for a quiet “Thank you.”

Jeongin and the doctor quickly came back and, after an awkward check up and more explanations on how he was supposed to treat his injuries, he was allowed to leave. Jeongin and Chan drove him back to Minho’s home. The older of the two wanted to stay to look over him, but he managed to convince him to go to work.

* * *

“Hello, I would like to see Lee Minho, please.”

It felt weird saying his own name out loud, but he had no choice. Minho had come to the Miroh headquarters, where he worked, in order to find himself. Whoever had control of his body didn’t seem to want to answer the phone and neither of his friends did as well. The receptionist sighed softly, probably judging him for his ragged appearance.

“Ah, did you have an appointment ?” It was obvious in her voice that she knew he didn’t, the disdain sweated from her entire form. “Mr Lee is unavailable today.”

Minho all but grunted, turning on his heels. He had never liked her anyways. He would have dashed to the elevator if there weren’t the security guards closeby. But now that he had made himself noticeable by talking at the reception, there was no way he would make it. He stepped back out as elegantly as his wounds allowed him to move. Hyunjin, who had been waiting there, looked up at him.

“No luck ?”

Minho knew he didn’t believe him when he talked about who he was. It was easy to read in the scoffs he gave out constantly.

“Not there. I’d try my apartment, but there’s no way we’re passing the lobby. We’ll have to try again tomorrow…”

He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair that felt way too messy for his taste. It had been hours since he woke up in this body and he didn’t think he’d get used to it anytime soon.

“So… Where am I supposed to live ? You kids are in college, right ? Does Seungmin have a dorm or something ?”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes one more time, crossing his arms. Minho raised an eyebrow at him, pulling his best unimpressed face.

“Listen, I’m only telling you because you’re in his body, okay ? He’ll have my ass if he learns about this. He used to live with his parents, but they’re extremely abusive. From what I gathered, his mom is responsible for…” He gestured towards the general area of his midsection. “That bloody mess. There’s no way I’m letting him, or, I guess, you, go back there. You can crash at my place, or Felix’s, because god knows I won’t let Seungmin on the streets, but know I’m not doing it for you.”

Oh, he did know. More and more, this young man was reminding him of himself, just a few years ago.

“When this all is fixed, I’ll repay you. You have my word.”

The taller man scoffed one more time before starting to walk away, Minho having to trot after him to catch up. They moved in silence amongst the people until they arrived on Hyunjin’s campus. They walked up to his room, where he forced Minho to sit on the bed. 

“Listen, I have class this afternoon, then I need to work, so you’ll be alone in here for about 6 hours. You can’t go out. You can’t go talk to people. Just…” He shook his hand, looking for the right words. He seemed to give up really quickly. “Just stay here.”

After gathering some things into an old backpack, Hyunjin left, not without sending a pointed glare towards Minho. He looked around the room, nose wrinkling in revulsion. It was disgusting in a way that couldn’t be the inhabitant’s fault. Mold grew in a few patches on the wall, a crack ran through the ceiling’s paint and the wind seemed to be whipping the window panes constantly.

Minho wondered how Hyunjin could live in such conditions, but he knew. He knew how tough money was to come around as a college student, especially if you came from a modest family. Hyunjin had no choice. Just like Chan did, all these years ago.

Sighing softly, he stood up, starting to rummage through Seungmin’s terribly old phone. However, he didn’t manage to find what he wanted, so he decided on doing it his way. Charisma wasn’t all about appearance, after all.

Minho tidied himself up, brushing his hair in a sleek point. Seungmin’s was more unruly than what he was used to, but he made it work. He smoothed out the shirt he was wearing and closed his eyes for an instant, putting himself in work mode.

He pulled his shoulders back, stood up straighter and lifted his chin distinguishably. The corner of a smirk, pulling on a long jacket that looked to be Hyunjin’s and he was out the door. Minho didn’t have to be in a suit, or even himself, to exude an aura of wealthiness and confidence. 

He ignored the looks he got on the way, as he did when he was himself. Being one of the wealthiest young people in Seoul dotted him with attention from most people. He supposed Seungmin was probably not one to act this way.

When he finally reached the university administration’s offices, he put on his most charming smile before walking up to the desk. Having seen Seungmin’s face in a reflection, he had to admit he was handsome. Not in the delicate yet strong way himself appeared, but in more of a boyish and youthful style.

“Hello, how can I help you ?”

He laid his eyes on the woman in front of him, more on the older side, but the expression on her face could only be described as warm and welcoming. Thankfully for him, these were the easiest people to trick.

“Yes, hello, my name is Kim Seungmin,” he had seen that on the student card residing on Hyunjin’s desk, now in his pocket. “I’ve been informed that there might be a mistake in my home address.”

The lady nodded, starting to type away on her computer. 

“What year and what major, Seungmin ?”

Ah, Minho wasn’t sure about that. He quickly calculated in his mind what he should be in, given his birth date, and ran through the few text conversations he had read.

“I’m a second year in human resources management.”

She nodded, scanning through her list, before smiling.

“Ah there you are. Born September 22 ?”

He nodded, grinning in relief but passing it off as just general joy.

“That’s me.”

The lady tutted softly as she scrolled through his profile, stopping to scribble on a post-it note. She stuck it on the desk, in front of him.

“This is what we have, do you see an error ?”

Minho read it a couple times. It was located in some cheaper part of Seoul, on the outskirts of the city.

“No, this seems fine… Maybe it was meant for another Kim Seungmin.”

He giggled lightheartedly, the lady joining him. He took advantage of her looking away to swipe the note and stick it in his pocket.

“Well, I’ll take my leave then. Have a nice day, miss.”

She returned the greeting and focused back on what she was previously doing as Minho left. Bingo.

* * *

This Lee Minho really had an impressive apartment, Seungmin thought. He had been exploring it for a while because who knew how long he’d have to stay here ? He would probably not enter such a luxurious place ever again.

He also had cats, three. They were very cute : one kept slinking between his legs as he walked, the other was currently batting at a feathered toy and the third watched him from afar, elegantly sitting on the windowsill. 

It was impressive how good of a condition everything was with three pets in the house. He would have guessed they would scratch at the couch or some other thing like that, but the expensive-looking leather sofa was in perfect condition. The beautifully arranged pillows made it seem like no one ever sat on it. 

The entirety of the apartment appeared like it could be used for a magazine’s front page, if it weren’t for the cat toys. It all seemed very impersonal : clean, monochromatic, tidy. There was almost no trace of life, except for the pile of papers on the table, at least in the main area.

The kitchen opened into the living room, giving the whole room a very spacious and free feeling. Seungmin liked the bedroom better, as it was smaller, making him less exposed. It was also slightly livelier, but in a way that seemed calculated, ungenuine.

The large bed took up most of the place, as well as a beautiful marbled desk. The bedsheets, made of a sand-colored satin, perfectly clean and smooth, disappeared under a mint throw blanket. It looked incredibly soft and fluffy, uncharacteristic for the kind of person Lee Minho appeared to be. 

Seungmin made his way around the bed to look out the floor to ceiling window, giving a breathtaking view of the city. He wondered how it would feel to live in such luxury and cringed thinking about how a single item here was worth more than his entire life.

He stared outside for a while, before turning around to go see other things. However, he bumped into a soft thing on the floor. He picked it up and what was his surprise when he understood it was a stuffed toy. This one was a large log-like pig that had been crushing an avocado plushie.

“Well, that’s cute.”

He placed both of the plushies back on the bed, his attention now directed on the desk. It all but disappeared under scattered papers, so many that it was almost a joke, as well as a computer. What was this man’s job again ? Financial manager ? Did that really mean this much work ? Or were they something else ?

A quick glance at them assured him they weren’t work at all, more like medical results. Seungmin bit his lip, thinking. He didn’t want to invade this man’s privacy more than he already was, but if he had serious medical conditions, he figured it should be best for him to know.

Gathering it in his hand, he quickly read through them, a weird feeling twisting in his guts. The physical symptoms described in the papers were the same as the ones he had : an incredible amount of bruises all over the body. Now that he thought about it, the stab wounds on Minho’s body were on the exact same spot as where his mother had attacked him.

Now that… was kinda creeping him out. But he figured, they exchanged, probably, their bodies so should he really be surprised ?

Seungmin put down the documents in a neat pile next to the computer. He was a tidy person by nature so, looking at the empty cups gathered on the bedside table, he picked them up and brought them to the kitchen. 

He was pretty sure there was a dishwasher in the room, but he didn’t know where and how to make it work anyways, so he decided on doing it by hand. Pushing up the sleeves of his button down, he took his time to make sure every glass was properly cleaned and laid them upside down to dry. 

When he was finally done with that, his stomach had already made itself known about twelve times, so he looked in the fridge in search of food. It was surprisingly empty, with only a few paper boxes of what looked like to be takeout leftovers, the same boxes that filled the trash. That wasn’t a good way to take care of oneself, Seungmin thought, but he took them out nonetheless. After putting them in pans, he began heating up the different dishes, as none would be enough to make a complete meal. This kitchen looked like it was rarely used, so it wouldn’t hurt to give it a bit of exercise.

He took his time to eat, never really having been in an environment comfortable enough to relax. However, in Minho’s apartment, with a cat on his lap and the other by his side, Seungmin felt safe. 

When he was done, he cleaned up everything he used, dried it off and put it back in its place. Hopefully, Minho wouldn’t mind, because it wasn’t like he really had a choice.

Seungmin soon found himself bored by having to wait. There was a big TV in the living room but that had never really been his thing, the few times that he went over to Felix’s house, who loved to watch it. 

He observed the cat that had kept its distance with him. Did it know he wasn’t its owner ? The other two didn’t seem to have noticed, or maybe they just didn’t mind. He hadn’t had to feed them earlier, as they had an automated machine that dispensed their food. 

When the clock reached four in the afternoon, he gave up on resisting and sat at the table, looking over the papers spread there. He knew he shouldn’t but he couldn’t help it. He grabbed a couple to understand what they were, nodding slowly.

Before he knew it, Seungmin spent the whole afternoon, looking through Minho’s papers. 

* * *

Minho had spent a horrible night, used to cuddling with his cats and plushies on a comfortable bed. It had been years since he had slept on a crusty college mattress and even then he was lucky. Felix had taken the small couch he had in his room, leaving him to rest on the bed. For his injuries, he said.

Minho had tossed and turned all night, uncomfortable on the bed and because of his injuries. His mind had kept running during the whole night as well, unable to stop thinking about the whole situation. In the end, he had managed to catch a couple hours of sleep before Felix had to get up for class. Still, he was thankful to not have been on his own, because he couldn’t quite be sure of what he would have done.

He was currently at the Miroh headquarters again, resolute on talking to Chan or Jeongin. Surely one of them would believe him, right ? He knew his way around, he just needed to get to the first floor. 

This time, Minho didn’t go to that bitchy receptionist again. Instead, he waited on the other side of the road until she went on break, using that time to sneak inside. He walked to the elevator, biting his lip as it came down. He was about to step in when one of the guards on duty stopped him.

“Ah, please, I wanted to come surprise my brother. I live in Daegu, I haven’t seen him in so long, sir please.”

He pleaded quietly, once again making use of Seungmin’s puppy looks. He knew that guard for having made small talk with him a couple times. Changbin, really sweet. 

“Who’s your brother ?”

Minho didn’t need to think, the answer came to his mind immediately.

“Yang Jeongin.”

Changbin made a hand movement towards the elevator. When all of this was resolved, he’d make sure to give him a boost with the company.

“Go off. 51st floor.”

He cheered quietly, bowing to him before scuttering inside. He pressed the button and leaned against the wall, sighing in relief. Now he just needed to talk to one of his friends.

After a minute that seemed like hours, he stepped off on his goal floor without encountering anyone on his way up. The few people in the space looked at him with a strange expression. They were his coworkers, but he had never really talked to them, nor liked them. Minho walked up to them, putting on his confident persona once again.

“Would you happen to know if Yang Jeongin is currently available, by any chance ?”

They stared at him like he had grown two additional arms, so he tapped on the table they were gathered around impatiently. At that, they snapped back to reality, telling him he was busy with a meeting.

“How about Bang Chan, then ?”

They nodded, pointing this strange apparition to the second to last office, not that he needed their indications. With an obviously fake smile, he thanked them and made his way there. Knocking on the door once, then twice in rapid succession, Minho waited for the usual hum and pushed down on the handle. Chan’s face scrunched up in confusion as he closed the door, moving closer to the desk.

“How… Can I help you ? I’m not supposed to have an appointment right now.”

Minho all but wanted to drop himself on the comfortable seat in front of his friend’s desk, but he instead sat dignifiedly.

“Okay, Chan, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’m Minho.”

His face went from slightly irritated to confused to straight up puzzled.

“What are you…”

Biting his lip, Minho thought for an instant. This is why he wanted to go to Jeongin first. Chan had always been very pragmatic, not one to believe anything without proof.

“Lee Minho, your friend, from college. It’s me.”

The other stared at him for a couple seconds before standing up slowly. Had he recognized him somehow ?

“Lee Minho, my friend from college, who is currently in his office.”

Minho’s eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet, groaning out at the speed of the movement.

“He what ?!”

Minho shot out of the room and rushed to his office, the last one of the corridor, throwing the door open. And sure enough, his body was there, gasping at his sight. When he heard quick footsteps behind him, he slammed the door shut, locking it instantly.

“You ! Are you Kim Seungmin ?”

The other nodded slowly, eyes wide in what seemed like terror. Minho had a fleeting thought that it didn’t look good on himself.

“Why didn’t you answer your- my phone ? Your friends and I have called dozens of times !” Minho rushed forward to take hold of the device resting on the desk. “And now you’re here, in my office, and… What the hell are you even doing ? You’re in college, not even close to anything dealing with finance.”

Seungmin raised his hands protectively, slowly standing up. Minho could see how bad he was shaking. When he heard Chan banging on the door, he gestured for him to come forward.

“You gotta tell him that you’re fine before he alerts security. We’ll both get in very big trouble and you know it.”

Seungmin nodded and then Minho saw his face shift around, taking on a false air of calm.

“Chan, stop ! I’m fine.”

The sound ceased, before the man spoke out through the panel.

“Are you sure ?”

“Yes, just some personal trouble with my…” Seungmin continued, shooting a look towards Minho, repeating his words with a bewildered expression. “My sugar baby.”

He could almost hear Chan’s brain stop working and restart softly.

“Oh. Oh. Alright. I’ll… Leave you to it, then.”

His footsteps receded and Minho dropped in the chair closest to him.

“I swear, I help you and you try to ruin my life.”

Seungmin looked down at him curiously, scratching his neck.

“In what way did you help me ?”

He sat back down in the spot he was in at first.

“I dealt with your parents,” The boy’s eyes -more like Minho’s- widened, but he continued, not letting him intervene. “I know it’s not my place at all, but I didn’t enjoy being collateral of the stabby stab. From what I gathered, and what I actually lived, they won’t be a big loss. They won’t ever harm you again.”

Seungmin’s lip started trembling as his eyes welled up.

“Hey, don’t cry, I look really bad when I do.”

He shook his head, a giggle spurting out at the same moment as the tears.

“I’m sure you don’t.”

Minho sighed softly, unlocking his phone.

“Okay, we won’t get anything done here, so we’re going home. Mine, obviously.”

Scrolling through his contacts, he clicked on a number, bringing it to his ear.

“Hi, yes, I’d need a driver to pick up Lee Minho from the Miroh headquarters. As soon as possible,” he waited for an answer, before continuing. “Yes, thank you.”

He hung up, looking back to Seungmin.

“Okay, you’re gonna have to compose yourself for a bit before we go out, okay ? Because it’s my reputation on the line, and I don’t need to be on the front covers of tabloids for crying. Alright ?”

Seungmin nodded, patting away some of his tears with the heel of his hand.

“Yes, of course, sorry.”

He gestured for the boy to get up, which he did, before drying his cheeks with the sleeve of the hoodie Felix had lent him.

“Alright, so follow my lead for a bit, then it’ll be your turn. You’ll have to lead the way down.”

Seungmin nodded and waited for Minho’s directions. With gentle but precise hands, he pulled the other’s shoulders back, making him straighten up. He lifted his chin with a caress of the index, sliding down to straighten the lapels of his suit and smoothing the dress shirt he had put on.

“All good. Now we need to get down there, to the entry of the building. Imagine you own the place and don’t. Talk. To anyone. Got it ? Not even Chan and Jeongin. Just nod from far away and keep walking.”

He slid around the room, packing up a few things in the bag that Seungmin had had the foresight to bring. He pushed it into Seungmin’s hand, taking a minute to readjust his own appearance and unlocking the door. They exchanged a nod and he stepped out, walking like he had done it his whole life. 

They passed in front of Chan’s open door, who stared with an awkward look on his face, as well as some other of Minho’s colleagues. Seungmin pressed the elevator button, Minho standing a step behind him. 

Their plan rolled flawlessly until they encountered a familiar face. Jeongin got in with them for a few floors.

“Hey Min. Who’s that ?”

He smiled brightly, as he always did when meeting new people. Seungmin looked at Minho with wide eyes. Immediately, he jumped into action.

“Oh, hello, my name is Kim Seungmin ! I’m Minho’s… Assistant, let’s say.”

Jeongin seemed confused, clearly wanting to ask more, but the elevator stopped at his floor and he had to get off, bidding them goodbye.

“How many roles are you going to have ?”

Minho had already taken out his phone, typing away a message for Jeongin.

“Oh, I’m also supposed to be his brother, don’t worry about it.”

Ignoring Seungmin’s shrill “What ?”, he sent the message : ‘Sorry about that, just ask Chan. I didn’t think Minnie would come around.’

“Let’s continue with the sugar baby fantasy, okay ? Almost at floor 0, be ready to dash.”

And indeed, as soon as the doors opened, Seungmin started moving at a fast pace. However, Minho still had the time to shoot a wink at Changbin, who was staring at him with an open mouth, as well as a flying kiss to the receptionnist who was all but fuming behind her desk.

As soon as they passed the building’s threshold, a man opened the door of a car waiting just in front. Minho softly jammed a finger into Seungmin’s side to prompt him to get in, quickly following. The door snapped shut and they could finally breathe. 

“Ask for the apartment.”

The driver slipped in his own seat, ignoring their state.

“Where to ?”

Seungmin’s brain processed the question, immediately shooting out the answer.

“My apartment.”

Nodding, the man turned the engine on, sliding the separator up slowly.

“Of course, Mr Lee.”

* * *

“Ah, Soonie, baby, hi my gorgeous.”

Seungmin had barely stepped inside the apartment after Minho that the other had already dropped to his knees, cajoling the friendliest of the three cats. He scratched its head with practiced movements, finding its favoured spots with ease.

Seungmin stood there, shifting his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. The kitten came running, shooting past Minho to rub at his ankles, catching the attention of the other.

“Dori, you’re…”

He sighed softly, looking up at Seungmin and stood immediately, clearing his throat.

“So yes, let me take a shower and change, then we’ll talk.”

With one last pat on Soonie’s head, he went off towards the bedroom.

“Ah wait. Have you changed your bandages ? I mean, it’s my body after all and I’d rather not get an infection.”

Minho stopped in his tracks, not turning around before nodding.

“I’ll rewrap them after the shower and call my doctor to come check it out this afternoon. Don’t worry about any infections.”

He then continued his walk, disappearing in the bedroom. Only a minute passed before he heard the shower start running. Seungmin walked to the table, pulling out a chair to sit there. He took out his phone, which Minho had given back to him while in the car, and stared at it for a few minutes. 

Felix should be in class, so he went down to the second contact, selecting the call button. The tone rang a few times before the other answered with a rough tone.

“What do you want ?”

Seungmin felt his eyes begin to sting, tears trying to come out.

“Jinnie.”

He heard a gasp coming from Hyunjin, chest tight.

“Minnie ? Oh my god, you’re okay, I was so worried. Where are you ? Are you safe ?”

He hummed softly, trying to steady his voice.

“I’m okay, yes. I’m in Minho’s apartment, he’s showering. He came to his office and dragged me back here.”

Seungmin breathed in deeply, swallowing back the onslaught of emotions. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the soft locks.

“Showering ? With your body ? Seungmin, are you crazy ? What if he does weird things with it ?”

Seungmin couldn’t keep in a giggle. Hyunjin had always been very dramatic, especially in this kind of situation. Not that they had ever exchanged bodies with anyone in the past.

“Jin, I have his. I could make a lot more damage like that. You wouldn’t believe how much influence he has, it’s crazy.”

On the other end of the line, Hyunjin scoffed.

“Of course he has influence, he has a pretty face and money, what else would you expect ?”

“I’ll have you know that my brain is my biggest asset, dearest Hyunjin.”

Minho’s ice cold voice reached Seungmin’s ears, making him jump and turn around. The other stepped closer, now clad in dark slacks and a loose emerald dress shirt. The shiny fabric seemed incredibly soft, flowing beautifully. Was that silk ? Seungmin had never seen himself in such expensive clothes, but even if they weren’t his, it still looked amazing.

“I’m pretty sure you know what it’s like to be disregarded and belittled because of your looks. You shouldn’t do that to anybody else.”

Hyunjin stayed quiet for a few instants, before he let out a shaky breath. Seungmin bit his lip, worried about his friend.

“Sorry. I have to go. Make sure to call Lix later, Minnie. Bye.”

The tones meaning he had hung up resounded, leaving them in the silence of the large room. Minho brought up his hand, ruffling a towel against his head to dry the wet locks.

“Your hair is really dry, you know that ? Soaked up all that conditioner. Come on, let’s get on the couch.”

He moved back, settling on the soft leather sofa, pulling a pillow on his lap to trace its textured fabric. Seungmin followed after him, sitting away, leaving enough space for two people between them.

“Okay so we’re going to need to figure out a way to turn back because there is no way I’m staying like this.”

Seungmin crossed his arms, lifting an eyebrow.

“No, don’t take it like that. I mean, my whole life is built and I’m successful, rich and famous, there’s no way I’m going back to college.”

Okay, Seungmin could see why he would like to keep his life. Definitely.

“Until we figure it out, you can’t go back to your life.”

Not like Seungmin wanted to, anyways.

“You can ask a friend to send you their class notes or something, or I could send someone to pick them up, that’s not a problem. As for me, I can communicate by email, that’ll be fine… Yeah, that should work.”

Seungmin nodded quietly, hand mindlessly caressing the fur of the cat rubbing against his legs.

“So… I’d stay here ?”

He nodded, finger tracing the zigzag pattern of the cushion.

“I could go to a hotel,” he bit his lip, thinking. “entertain the sugar baby fantasy, you know… It’s not like I’ve never lived in a hotel for a while.”

Seungmin frowned, looking down at his fingers.

“But this is your home. What if someone comes and I mess up because I don’t know them ? Like your friends ? They would visit if you didn’t come to work, right ?”

Minho sighed softly, throwing the pillow away. He stood up, starting to pace on the soft carpet.

“They would break down the door if you didn’t let them in… That means I have to either stay here or tell them.”

Letting the cat, Soonie, settle on his lap, Seungmin watched Minho move around.

“Well you told my friends, so why not yours ?”

He stopped, head whipping away.

“No, not possible. Maybe later, if it’s not fixed soon, but not now. I’ll stay here too, then,” he clapped his hands, turning around to face Seungmin, all traces of the previous vulnerability gone. “You can take the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch with the cats. Now that that’s settled, you can just do whatever you want, I have a lot of work to catch up on.”

Seungmin opened his mouth, thinking about protesting, but let it go quickly. Instead, he decided to inform Minho of what he had done the previous day.

“Oh, um, I really hope you don’t mind, but I looked through those, on the table yesterday. I know I shouldn’t have, I was just… Curious.”

Minho strided over to the table, taking the pile in hand and quickly looking through it.

“I hate when people intervene with my things,” Seungmin froze, head lowering in shame. “But I guess I have with yours, so… We’re even now. Those aren’t even that important anyways, the rest’s in my office.”

Seungmin looked up with wide eyes. He did remember seeing a room with an incredible mess of papers, but that wasn’t what caught his attention in Minho’s sentence.

“Oh right. Do you mean, like, with my parents ? Can I ask what you did ?”

Minho turned around to look at Seungmin, half sitting on the table. 

“Well, we had a heartfelt conversation…” He rolled his eyes, waving the wad of paper in his hand. “No, but really, I all but threatened them using my own name, and a lawsuit. You should really take them to justice, they are horrendous.”

Seungmin shook his head, focusing on the cat’s purrs.

“Thank you for doing it… But no, I won’t, I don’t have that kind of money and I’m way too terrified to testify in front of a court.”

Minho brought a leg up to rest on the chair in front of him.

“Except I do have that kind of money. And I would testify in front of a court. I already have, in fact.”

“But you can’t testify for me…” Seungmin frowned, confused.

“You forget the reason why we’re here today, darling. I am you.”

Seungmin hummed quietly, looking back up at Minho.

“Why would you though ? What do you want in exchange ?”

He jumped off the table, taking a step forward.

“I have too much money for one person, and you need some. It would be stupid to simply hoard it,” he bit his lip softly, hand scratching his collarbone in a nervous manner. “I also like to believe that there’s no such thing as coincidences or whatever. We… Exchanged bodies for a reason, and it might be for me to help you.”

Seungmin’s eyebrow shot up again, the corner of his mouth slightly lifting.

“Are you saying you only want me for my body ?” He giggled at the scandalised look on Minho’s face. “I’m kidding. Thank you. Go work, now.”

Minho rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched in a smile.

“You should go take a nap. I haven’t rested well for the last month, so my body is probably very tired.”

Seungmin nodded, gently trying to lift off the cat in his lap while Minho walked to his office, right next to the bedroom. 

And that was how Minho and Seungmin started living together.

* * *

Minho and Seungmin had been sharing a home for the past five days, and Minho actually found himself quite enjoying it. 

The younger boy was quiet and left him space, which made him kind of sad, because he knew the reason he was like that. However, he also helped him a lot, making food and bringing it to him, checking at times to bring him some water…

As he had forbidden Jeongin and Chan from coming, Minho was glad Seungmin was here. The amount of work that had piled up during his troubled month was almost unbearable, and he knew he would ruin his health even more. He had always dedicated a lot of time to his work, so much that he himself faded in the background. 

Seungmin encouraged him to come out of the office and play with the cats for a while, or just discuss a few things while he took a break as well. He had been studying and working a lot, spending his entire days on it. Minho knew he felt guilty for not being able to attend class, so he had contacted his university to make sure the lessons would be given to the boy.

“So what made you want to work in human resources ?”

Minho asked on the evening of the fifth day, as they were eating. Seungmin coughed on the pasta in his throat, drinking some water to stop the painful contractions of his lungs.

“It was my parents. I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Oh. Minho scratched the back of his head, sorry for bringing up that topic again. They would have to talk about the lawsuit story soon, but not now.

“What would you have rather done then ?”

Seungmin thought for a moment, eyes fleeting to the kitten playing with a toy a few meters away.

“I’ve always been really interested in, like, wildlife biology and stuff.”

Minho hummed, cocking his head.

“But it’s not possible anyways, so…”

Seungmin trailed off, looking away. Minho thought for a few instants, chewing on the delicious pasta the other man had made.

“I mean, it wasn’t. But now it is,” seeing Seungmin open his mouth to protest, he quickly continued. “I told you I have too much money. This is nothing for me.”

“But it is for me, I-” he inhaled deeply to push the tears back down. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I’ll repay you, with the interests.”

Minho shook his head slowly.

‘I don’t need money, Seungmin. You don’t have to repay me.”

“Okay, listen, I know you have plenty of money, but I don’t, and seeing you throw it away like that ? It hurts. It does. You spend the cost of my entire life on a shirt, you don’t even care about what you have.”

Minho’s jaw tightened as he stood up, taking his now empty plate. He walked to the kitchen, pushing it into the dishwasher.

“Hey, wait, I didn’t mean-”

Minho’s hands clenched on the side of the marble countertop, back facing Seungmin. He didn’t want to see the hurt on his face.

“Yes, you did. And I get it. I’m wealthy, but I’m not heartless. I give back, Seungmin, like I’m doing with you.”

He opened the cabinet next to the fridge, pulling out a bottle.

“I’ll pay someone to switch your university major, so don’t be surprised if you get a call. Have a good evening.”

With these cold words, he disappeared into his study, door shutting with a forceful slam, the lock instantly turned.

Fuck.

* * *

That evening, Seungmin stared at his papers for hours on end, until he realized he wasn’t going to get anything done anyways. He stood up, gently closing the laptop he had borrowed from Minho, and walked to the bedroom.

He changed into the big shirt that served as his pajamas and went inside the bathroom. He had learned that Minho had an extensive skincare, that he was consequently supposed to follow, given he had his body. He had to admit it was fun and kind of relaxing, despite taking a while.

After brushing his teeth, he finally curled up under the covers, fists tight against his chest. Even though he was in bed and felt completely drained, sleep still evaded him somehow. He stared at the cityview, through the window, thinking that he had forgotten to close the blinds.

Seungmin was too exhausted to get up though, simply focusing on the lights still peppered outside. He didn’t know how long he stayed awake for, but at one point, he heard Minho shuffling around in the living room. He must be going to sleep too.

The bedroom door creaked open and in stumbled Minho. After a few seconds of doing who knows what, he crashed on the bed, sighing deeply.

“Minho ?”

He mumbled something back then fell silent. That’s when the smell hit Seungmin : Minho was drunk. He knew he should get up, sleep on the couch instead, leave him space, but his body suddenly went heavy. He pulled the blanket over the other, who he found out was naked when touching heated skin.

Seungmin wasn’t sure if he was completely naked, but he wasn’t going to check. He knew that at least his torso was. The additional warmth made him all the more sleepy, and it didn’t take long before he fell fast asleep.

Seungmin woke up at the sound of banging, grunting softly. It took a few seconds for him to realize it was the door, making him freeze. Glancing to the side, he saw Minho laying there, blanket bunched up in his arms. He was consequently not very covered, but it allowed Seungmin to see that he did have underwear on. 

At least it was his own body, so not anything he hadn’t seen before. The bandages still wrapped tightly around his chest and leg mirrored the ones Seungmin bared.

Another bang on the door, as well as a shout startled him. Oh right. It didn’t look like Minho was going to wake up anytime soon, so he had to take care of it himself. He stood up carefully, slipping on a pair of sweatpants before padding to the main room.

The cats saluted him with a soft chorus of meows, making him smile. They were very cute. He had always been more of a dog person, but he couldn’t deny that cats were very lovely as well.

Taking in a deep breath, he opened the door with a bored look that was definitely Minho. Outside stood Jeongin and Chan, dressed up in suits like they were probably used to. In comparison, Seungmin probably appeared terribly shabby.

“What are you two waking me up for ?”

Chan pushed past him and into the apartment, pulling a noise of disapproval from Seungmin. Jeongin looked at him with sad eyes.

“It’s 10:30, Min.”

Seungmin crossed his arms, moving to the side to invite Jeongin in.

“What about it ? I worked late yesterday, I think I deserve to sleep in a bit.”

He closed the door behind the oldest of Minho’s friends, following him to where Chan looked through the papers on the table. Seungmin’s papers.

“Don’t look at that.”

He snatched them from his grasp, pressing them to his chest protectively.

“Since when are you interested in human resources ?”

He picked up the laptop as well, putting everything down on the console between the study and bedroom doors, while Chan and Jeongin settled on the couch.

“None of your business, I suppose.” He stepped closer, standing in front of them like Minho had done to him, a few days ago. “Why are you here ?”

Chan started, fingers tapping a rhythm on his thigh.

“You’ve spent almost a week holed up in your apartment, we-”

Jeongin cut him off, “We were worried about you. Is it because of what happened with that, um, Seungmin ?”

He barely retained a giggle. It definitely was all about him.

“Yes, that, and maybe the fact that I have been stabbed, but that’s just secondary.” He shrugged, trying to pull their attention away from the Seungmin situation.

Jeongin gasped softly, standing up in a flurry.

“Is it fine ? Did it get infected ?”

Seungmin gestured for him to sit back down.

“I’m fine, it’s just that the doctor said it’d be best for me to not move around too much, which means staying home.”

Chan frowned as Jeongin settled back on the couch.

“Since when do you listen to her about not going to work ?”

Seungmin’s mind raced in order to find a valid excuse. Minho really was a workaholic.

“Since she threatened to talk to higher-ups about not letting me work at all. I also realized I could work more if I stayed here, less time wasted on getting to the building and all.”

That seemed to be correct enough for the men to get off his case. He carefully sat on the couch as well, crossing his legs.

“How are you feeling, though, Min ? Has there been any more bruising ?”

He shook his head, mindlessly poking at one of the bruises he knew was on his thigh.

“There hasn’t, no. I’m okay. I think that was a wake up call to realize I really needed rest, though.”

Jeongin hummed, extending a hand to gently pat his knee.

“It sounds weird, but I’m kind of glad it happened. It was really hard seeing you decay like that without being able to do anything.”

Chan nodded, quietly approving the other man’s words.

“Yeah, I guess it could have been… Sorry about it.”

Seungmin heard it before he saw it. The telltale creak of Minho’s bedroom door. His eyes widened as he watched Minho emerge, tightly bundled up in his fluffy mint blanket.

“My head is-”

Chan let out an “Oh shit.” that had to have come from deep down in his heart. Minho looked up like a deer in headlights, gasping, and threw himself back inside the bedroom.

“I, uh…”

“Ah I see now, that’s the work you were doing that made you sleep in today.” Jeongin smirked slightly. 

Seungmin could feel a blush rise up on his face.

“No, that’s just, uh-”

“Your sugar baby. Coming from your bedroom. Barely clothed.” Chan continued, counting on his fingers.

“He definitely didn’t look this young when we met in the elevator.”

“Why did you even decide to get a sugar baby ?”

Seungmin stood up brutally, rounding the couch, “I’m not talking about this.” He walked towards the bedroom, carefully opening the door. He sent a dirty look to the men on the couch and slid inside the room.

Minho was curled up on the floor, looking outside the window, betrayed by the comforter peeking out from behind the bed. Seungmin tiptoed closer, sitting next to him.

“I couldn’t leave them outside the door…”

“Oh I know.” Minho sighed. “You did good, it’s not you I’m angry at.”

Seungmin watched him out of the corner of his eye, before gently patting where he supposed his shoulder was.

“Should we tell them the truth ?”

Minho grunted, “They’re going to feel so betrayed,” he dropped his head on his knees, deflating. “but we have no choice now, do we ?”

He stood up, dropping the blanket, making Seungmin look away from his almost bare body. He walked to the closet, quickly dressing up with one of his infamous silk shirts, this time a deep burgundy and dark slacks.

Seungmin wondered if he should change as well, but he figured it was fine. He wasn’t really Lee Minho, after all.

“Sorry for yesterday, by the way. For saying those things about money and then coming to sleep in the bed. I brought up the subject, shouldn’t have put the blame on you.”

Standing up, an arm propped up on the bed, Seungmin waved his hand.

“It’s fine, just remember that not everyone has this much money.” 

Minho nodded thoughtfully, stepping in the bathroom. Seungmin moved towards the door as he listened to the clattering of pills. A splash of water and then Minho was back.

“Drunk too much.”

Seungmin nodded as he opened the door.

“I’ll make you some soup.”

Together, they left the bedroom, walking to sit on the couch under Jeongin and Chan’s gazes. They all stared at each other in silence until Seungmin couldn’t endure it anymore. 

He gestured to Minho, “This is Minho.”

Jeongin frowned, head cocking to the side.

“Wasn’t it Seungmin ?”

“I am Seungmin.”

He registered the confused looks on the others’ faces, sighing softly. He gently elbowed Minho, looking at him for support. He mouthed at him to explain, which he did with a sigh. He spent time explaining, from the night he started bleeding, to waking up with Seungmin’s friends, trying to get in the Miroh headquarters the first day, succeeding the second, all the way to living together for almost a week now.

Jeongin and Chan stared, flabbergasted, as they took in the information. 

“So… When Minho woke up in the hospital… It was you ?”

Chan pointed to Seungmin, who nodded.

“I didn’t know what else to do, really. Sorry for lying to you, it’s just… Yeah.”

He scratched his neck awkwardly, looking away.

“So what are you going to do ? Just hang out until you exchange back or something ?”

Minho nodded, “That’s pretty much it, yeah.”

Except the part excluded by that “pretty much” was the whole idea of this lawsuit thing, which couldn’t be considered a small idea. 

* * *

Jeongin and Chan left an hour later, all but pushed out by Minho.

“Seungmin ?”

The other hummed from where he stood in the kitchen, looking over the soup.

“Can I file a complaint against your parents ?”

He heard him sputter and checked out whether he was dying by bending over slightly. He wasn’t, so Minho stayed in his spot.

“I have a really good lawyer and we have strong evidence. It could be fixed in less than two weeks.”

“Can I get some time to think about it ?” Seungmin asked, voice quiet.

Minho answered positively and went back to the papers in his hand.

Seungmin’s idea of some time was apparently the time needed for his soup to be ready. When he brought the pot to the table, almost slamming it down on there, he looked into Minho’s eyes.

“Let’s do it. The complaint, lawsuit, whatever. I want to do it.”

Minho smiled widely as he began pouring it into their bowls.

“Nice. I’ll get on with it right after eating then.”

Because, even though a lawsuit was a very important action, it could still wait until after lunch.

However, when it was done, Minho wasted no time in calling the commission who handled these kinds of things. He then contacted his own lawyer in Seungmin’s name and disappeared in the bedroom to gather what could serve as evidence.

Just like that, the juridical process was engaged.

It wasn’t the only thing that had changed. From that night on, Seungmin and Minho shared a bed. They hadn’t talked about it. It was just that, when time came when they would usually go to bed, Minho settled on the mattress, next to the younger boy, who didn’t protest. It wasn’t that he was afraid to voice his thoughts. It was simply that he didn’t mind it. At all.

And if Minho found himself waking up with a hand laying on Seungmin’s waist, that was their problem.

As the days passed by and became more busy, with Seungmin restarting his first semester of university, Minho’s constant workload, as well as the lawsuit papers and meetings with the lawyers. The only time they had to relax was the night.

Gradually, the night brought them closer. What was a hand became an elbow, until the whole arm wrapped around him, and what started with feet barely touching soon turned into legs intertwined, locking them together.

* * *

The week went by, made easier by Jeongin and Chan who dropped by twice to check on them. And then, it was time for the trial.

Despite really wanting to come as support for Minho, Seungmin wouldn’t. They had both decided that, not only would it be strange for Lee Minho to be there, but also that it wouldn’t be a good idea for Seungmin to see his parents again.

The bruises had mostly faded, leaving only yellowish spots where the most recent ones had been. The stabs had also healed correctly, thankfully without any infection for the both of them. They did have one of the best doctors of Seoul, after all. They both knew there would always be the scars, though.

So that day, Minho dressed up well and with a wave, left Seungmin. He knew he would be back in at most, four hours, but to fight his nerves, he had invited his friends over. It had been almost two weeks since he had last seen them and he missed them terribly.

When he heard a knock on the door, he sprung up, resisting his need to run there. He opened it, unable to keep in a smile at the sight of his best friends. He invited them in.

“Ah thank god you guys are here, Minho left only ten minutes ago and I was already getting restless.”

They gaped at the size and feeling of expensiveness radiating from the apartment.

“Wow, he really is rich, huh.” 

Felix stated with a deadpan expression, before squealing at the sight of the cats.

“Yeah, I told you, it’s incredible.”

Hyunjin simply watched him in silence, before moving to examine more of the apartment.

“It’s weird to see you as… Him.”

Seungmin hummed quietly, nodding. He had gotten kind of used to it now, but still jumped when he saw himself in mirrors sometimes. Felix came back to them from greeting the cats one by one, even Doongie, who had always been more reserved, had let him pet her. He was just that bright that all pets liked him. He’d make an amazing doctor, when he finished his studies.

Together, they settled on the couch, Seungmin laying down to put his head in Hyunjin’s lap, who started running his hands through his hair softly.

“I hope he’s okay…”

Hyunjin grunted and gently pulled at his locks, prompting a whine out.

“He’s a finance guru, he’s used to talking.”

Seungmin shook his head softly, “He’s an analyst, he doesn’t re-”

“Don’t think about it, Minnie,” Felix prompted, smiling sneakily. “Instead, tell me if he has any rich friends I could, you know, mingle with ?”

That made Seungmin burst out laughing, covering his face. 

“I mean, Chan is australian too, he might be a good match.”

Felix sighed, a dreamy look on his face, as he curled his hands over his heart.

“Aaah, I can already see it.”

Hyunjin giggled softly at his antics, “See what ?”

“Me and my hot rich boyfriend, on a yacht, sailing to Australia where we’ll have an expensive wedding.”

Seungmin had to grip Hyunjin’s thigh to not fall off the couch from laughing too much.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself there, Lix.”

The conversation continued on from there, talking about light topics until a heavier one came in, introduced by Hyunjin.

“When this is fixed… What are you gonna do ?”

Seungmin had to think about that one for a while, before answering.

“Well… He helped me get my life back on track, so we’ll probably each go back to our thing. Hopefully, we can stay friends.” He trailed off, but his friends knew there was more behind that.

“You feel something for him, don’t you ?”

“What ?” 

Seungmin sat up, confused by Hyunjin’s question.

“It’s in the way you talk about him, Minnie. It’s not that hard to notice the fondness in your voice.”

“I…” He scratched the back of his neck, gaze avoiding his friends. “I don’t know, I’m just really thankful for what he’s done for me.”

Felix giggled quietly, pinching Seungmin’s cheek with a coo, “Aw, our Minnie has a crush… They grow up so fast.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes with a soft smile, but he couldn’t help but wonder… Maybe he did have feelings for Minho.

* * *

After his friends had left, one for work, the other for school, Seungmin found himself laying on his back in the large bed he and Minho shared. As his thoughts trailed off from what his friends had talked about, lingering on the warmth in his chest.

He closed his eyes, Minho’s face floating in front of his eyes. He couldn’t keep his heartbeat steady when he tried to imagine him smile. He couldn’t wait to see just how beautiful he would look when his personality would be in his own skin. His fierceness when someone bothered him, his gentleness when he looked at the cats, his cockiness when he teased Seungmin, his kindness when he looked at Seungmin, his flirtiness…

Without even thinking about it, Seungmin’s palm snaked down to the bulge in his pants, gasping at the feeling. His face flared up and he pulled his hand away, embarrassed. He couldn’t do this with Minho’s body, it wouldn’t be right.

But it felt so good, he hadn’t done it in so long… And it wasn’t like he would look, just get off. Slowly, he went back to his previous position, hand disappearing under the waistband of the sweatpants he had put on. He sighed when the pressure returned, head falling back down on the mattress.

After a few minutes of simply touching over his boxers, he slipped his hand inside, the smooth skin gently caressing the length, trembling at the stimulation. He circled around the head, breathing out softly from pleasure. 

Using the fingers of his other hand, he brought them up to play with the hard nipple. That gave him the knowledge of how incredibly sensitive Minho’s were, and Seungmin couldn’t be more unsure of what to do with that information. 

Continuing his ministrations for a few minutes, his hair started standing, shaking gently under ghost touches. He knew he was only imagining them, but it felt so good, trailing across his arms, his thighs, his stomach, sending goosebumps all through it. 

It was all not enough until it suddenly was too much. His limbs trembled as a powerful orgasm blinded him. His back arched off the bed, as he moaned quietly, biting his lips. 

Seungmin spent a few instants trying to regain his breath before opening his eyes. All he could see was the floor. Had he fallen off ? He carefully pushed himself back to stand up and barely had time to realize he wasn’t in the bedroom anymore that he heard a door get slammed open.

He looked up and saw Minho running towards him. Minho ? Minho, actual Lee Minho, who pulled him tightly into his arms.

“I did it, Seungmin, we did it, we won the trial and we’re back in our bodies now !”

He continued to talk excitedly but Seungmin only stared at his own hands in wonder. They were indeed his, unmistakably his. He looked back up and lost himself in Minho’s eyes, overwhelmed by the look of joy and his heart swelled.

Not controlling his body for a bit more, he pushed forward, lips meeting Minho’s soft ones. When his ming caught up with his actions, he shuffled back, terrified, but he wasn’t able to go very far off.

Grabbing the lapels of the vest he was wearing, Minho pulled him back towards him, mouth pressing against mouth again. Seungmin closed his eyes and relinquished all control as he got pressed up against the wall. He let out a soft moan, making the other move back.

“Come on, let’s get inside.”

Minho took his hand gently and led him back to the apartment, making them both sit on the couch, side to side. The places in which their bodies met felt electric, sending sparks through Seungmin.

“We need to talk, alright ?”

Seungmin nodded, eyes fleeting away as his heart contracted, “Yes, of course.”

“Hey, no…” Gentle fingers grabbed his chin, turning his head towards Minho. “Don’t look away, baby.”

He flushed a deep red at the pet name, as well as the intensity of Minho’s stare.

“You’re free now, Seungmin. Your parents will not approach you ever again. You can live your life the way you want, from now on !”

Minho smiled brightly, Seungmin’s stomach flipping upside down. He stuttered out a question.

“If… If I can live the way I want to,” he paused for an instant, looking for the right words. “what if I want you to be in it ?”

Minho seemed surprised. How stupid could Seungmin be ? Of course he wouldn’t want to stay in contact with someone like him.

“Then, I’ll be in it. I’d really like you to stay in mine as well.”

Seungmin’s breath caught in his throat, before he exhaled softly.

“Thank you… I’m not, I’m not really sure about the way I feel for you though. Is that… okay ?”

Minho nodded, a more fond smile stretching his lips.

“Of course it is. We don’t have to get engaged into anything, we can just simply try it out. To be honest, I never thought I’d ever meet anyone I’d get interested in. We have our whole lives in front of us, don’t we ?” He paused to playfully flick Seungmin’s forehead. “I see that brain heating up, sweetheart. If you end up figuring out we’d be better off as friends, that’s what we’ll do, Min. Don’t overthink it, that’s what I did and it landed me in the hospital more than one too many times.”

* * *

Minho was right. They were okay. Seungmin settled in a small yet nice studio apartment close to his university, working part time at a pet store. 

Minho stopped overworking himself so much, accepting to follow something closer to regular work hours. 

Every two or three days, they met up for lunch or dinner at restaurants all around the city, just enjoying time together rather than questioning what they could be. 

When tabloids started spreading rumors about how one of Seoul’s bachelors wasn’t so eligible anymore, they just went along with it. 

They had their whole lives to figure it out, didn’t they ?

* * *

Doongie ended up accepting Seungmin and maybe, just maybe Hyunjin did with Minho as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter : @lacyjunnie


End file.
